El Capitan Trophy Elk, Land

Ranch Description

El Capitan Trophy Elk, Land & Cattle Ranch

Large contiguous land holdings comparable to the +/-24,070 acres +/-11,070 deeded and +/-13,000 National Forest grazing 200 AUM allotment representing the El Capitan Trophy Elk, Land & Cattle Ranch, are getting harder and harder to find, especially with the incredible artesian springs and untapped water that El Capitan Ranch carries.

El Capitan Ranch is most noted as the property where Smokey Bear was found in the spring of 1950, and a documented hideout of Billy the Kid. The ranch offers world-class hunting both high fence and free range, working cattle operations, substantial improvements and 10+miles of paved highway frontage with major investment potential. Drive time from Capitan to Ruidoso's casinos, horse racing and snow skiing is 17 miles, the Texas State line is a close 2 hours 15 minutes and just 2 hours 35 minutes to Albuquerque International Airport. The ranch borders thousands of acres of the Lincoln National Forest and the 35,000 acre Capitan Wilderness and is but 14 miles from the quaint historic town of Capitan, New Mexico with excellent dining, incredible western history of Lincoln County and historic museums.

Hunting

In 2019 the New Mexico Department of Fish and Game allocated this area as Management Level 2, with unlimited landowner bull elk tags, unlimited landowner mule deer tags, unlimited landowner antelope tags, and the ranch carries a large number of both Merriam and Rio Grande Turkeys as well as hybrids. In recent years, wild hogs have encroached into this area of New Mexico and allows for unlimited hunting, with black bear, bobcat, an occasional mountain lion and coyotes rounding out the predator hunting. The largest free range bull elk was a 396 taken a couple years ago with 350+ bulls documented every year on the ranch. In 2019, a 198 in mule deer was the largest taken in the area.

One of the many outstanding features of El Capitan is the +/-1700 acre licensed high fence game park oldest in the state currently carrying a +/-40 animal elk herd being managed to harvest +/-6 bulls a year at per hunt. There's also +/- a dozen mule deer in the park as well. An additional adjacent 1500 acres could also be added to the park as high fence, if desired. The ranch is perimeter fenced and divided into a total of 13 pastures, including the two in the high fence. The ranch ranges from a very mild elevation of 6400 ft. to 8200 ft.

Improvements

Headquarters consists of a 4-bedroom, 2-bath ranch house lodge, a 2-bedroom, 1-bath managers house, and an additional 3-bedroom, 1-bath ranch house that needs remodeling. There's a large 60' x 80' metal shop, full elk handling facilities, corrals, and traps for breeding. All are included. There's an additional cabin, outbuildings & barns on the property. Two stocked ponds compliment the headquarters trout, bass, bluegills with water available for additional water improvements throughout.

Caretaker/manager

One of the greatest additions to the ranch is the current manager, a very experienced ranch/game manager and licensed biologist who lives but 3 miles away. His knowledge and experience in the area and on the ranch is incomparable, would be a great asset to the new owners, and has shown a desire to stay on with the right ownership.

Investment

With one of the closest rocky mountain ranges to the great state of Texas, and complete end-to-end paved highway frontage, El Capitan also offers investment potential for the ideal candidate with the ranch being subdivided into 5 separate ranches. You can't get hurt with dirt.

Not really sure what one compares the incredible holding of El Capitan Trophy Elk, Land & Cattle to, but the options are endless while the opportunity is not.

Call or email today for additional information and your qualified showing. Co Brokers welcome.